Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Dip

I had this butternut squash, and I didn't want to make soup, or lasagna, and it was sitting on the counter for a little while, in fact, it was from the CSA, so it was getting on in weeks. It was time to roast it up. I also needed to make some appetizery-things for an event.
Butternut squash is sweet, but it goes very well with savory things. It likes to be with cheese. It likes to be a little bit spicy. I'm not one to make up sweet potatoes and top them with marshmallows, so while other people swear by adding brown sugar to winter squashes, I like to add onion-y flavors and saltiness and heat. This is that, on a cracker.
Once it's softened and bright orange, I just sliced it into manageable pieces. Winter squash is a chore to peel, so I avoid that at all costs.I started by gutting my squash and roasting it, open side down, on a pan spritzed with olive oil. 45 minutes or so at 375 - until it's very fork-tender.I use a melon baller to remove the seeds, but a spoon works just as well.

I ran a fork between the skin and the flesh of the squash to "peel" it, and when that got tedious, I used my hands. You'll want to let the squash cool a bit, just for your own comfort.

This was two cups of cooked squash in the end.
Then cheese, because of course, cheese. Cream cheese would have worked fine here, but I had some local chevre from the buying club. Most of it was plain, but a third of it had chives in it. I don't expect your groceries look like mine, so add chives. Three ounces of chevre, a bit of caynne and some chives and black pepper.

I hit it up on high with my immersion blender, but you could just dump it in a regular blender or food processor on "puree."

Covered and into the oven at 350 for 20 minutes or so or until warmed throughout.

Serve with crackers and veg.

This recipe is cross-posted at Saturday’s Mouse, where I’m working on making food out of food. Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash

3 oz chevre or cream cheese

1/2 tablespoon minced chives

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375.

Slice squash in half and remove seeds and strings. Roast face down (open side down) on a lightly oiled baking dish, 45 minutes or until very tender.

Slice squash into manageable pieces and remove skin (you may want to let it cool first) using fork or fingers.